From the clinical point of view, many kinds of physical options are available for the treatment of neoplastic skin diseases. For example, laser-therapy, cryotherapy, thermotherapy, electrocautery, etc. The treatment of neoplastic lesions is mostly ablative, for example, carbon dioxide laser is use to cauterize the warts, liquid nitrogen is used to freeze Bowen disease (precancerous lesion) and etc. These methods may cause scarring, are poorly tolerated during the procedures. Non-ablative method with good efficiency is highly expected.
In the search of non-ablative treatment methods, the National Key Laboratory of the Health Ministry, at the State Key Department of Dermatology of Chinese Medical University investigated and found that infrared heading has significant effect on curing some certain kinds of skin diseases, some results has been published in academic journals. More importantly, by employing molecular biology and immunology methods, they found that appropriated length and temperature of the infrared heating can influence immune cells of the skin, such as stimulating the migrational maturation of Langerhans cells, promoting cell apoptosis and etc. The effect on promoting establishment of specific immune response was observed in that there were concomitant elimination of targeted virus harboring lesion as well as non-targeted lesions, during the local infrared heating treatment.
Different lengths of wave can reach to different layers of skin. The absorption rates of IR in each layer of skin depend on the wavelength of the IR. Therefore, biological effects of IR on different layers of skin are different. Physically, IR is divided into three ranges of Near-IR, Mid-IR and Far-IR. While by the sense of bio-effect, IR is divided into different bands according to its potential to reach the depths of skin. The bio-Effect IR spectrum and the IR absorption rates of each layer of skin are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.
IR-Technique is being applied to a broad range of fields, including measuring, monitoring, photographing and physiotherapy. By virtue of its heating effect, infrared radiation has been Used in health care. The IR-products available in the market for heating are IR heater and heating bandage. There has been a lack in the specific control of wavelength, temperature and illuminated area of IR, in those marketed IR-products. An IR-product with characteristics of controllable specific wave length, energy output, target area, would be needed in health care research and possibly treating some skin diseases.